The fact that Elon Musk was right about EVs doesn't mean he's going to be right now: Gautam Mukunda

Gautam Mukunda, lecturer in the practice of management at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss Elon Musk's leadership at Tesla, whether he is the right person to lead the company going forward, and more.

[@gnosis7662]

I just bought a Tesla for the first time. I've been the owner of other EVs and regular ICE cars over the years. I can tell you with confidence that a Tesla vehicle is light years ahead of any other vehicle when it comes to safety, automation, and innovation! I feel like I'm driving a vehicle from an advanced alien civilization. Any other car feels so outdated now. Once you drive a Tesla, there is no going back!

[@user-ll9qk2el4d]

One of the worst quality vehicles out there. It's ranked near bottom every year.

[@siddbhatt31]

Also bought one last month. Great car, indeed feels like something from the future. I don’t care about having 100 buttons in my car or expensive leather. Having said that, robotaxi is vapourware and may well bring down a great company that makes fantastic EVs.

[@magnum-kj5ip]

Lol April fools day. They are dead last in safety. Exposed yourself

[@thewholeshabang181]

I have ridden in a few seems just like a regular car to me. I thought the whole USP thing with Tesla is NOT to drive the car and be the passenger as FSD is supposed to do it for you. Maybe in 2030?

[@camwalker1186]

EV’s are the dumbest vehicle ever made. You being confident in your own bias and subjective assertions is IRRELEVANT. Most people realize that EVs have an EXTREMELY limited use and will NEVER experience universal adoption. THEY ARE NOT SELLING at a pace that would support your baseless enthusiasm. In fact, Tesla’s are one of the worst constructed EVs available.

[@krasnavin]

Steve Jobs vs board of Apple. Boards are bureaucracies that can only agree on the lowest common denominator thus have no innovating vision. Innovating vision is the core of a leader.

[@Zaerki]

Yeah, the leader needs to be a dictator. Seems like people don't like this notion, but it's how good things always get done.

[@jordanslingluff287]

Apple never invented anything even with Steve Jobs

[@KimetsuNoYaiba100]

Why as a CEO would you ever become a political? That's so foolish. Now the stock will go down far lower than current prices.

[@Watcher1-jr5lo]

Power

[@MakeAMark1755]

Because everyone has rhe right to have a opinion

[@kronosaurelius]

Correct, shunning democrats was a real mistake. They are the number one buyer of Teslas. This is similar to Disney's strategy. They tried to appeal to women with the MCU and they never got the women and lost the men so the MCU crashed. Elon took the Democrats for granted and tried to gain popularity with Republicans. Well, Democrats are now buying other EV's and Republicans will not be interested in EV's in my lifetime.

[@kr0nz]

@@kronosaurelius you nailed it. 💯💯

[@joaocardoso7880]

Hahahahaha 😂😂😂😂😂 try again

[@blomegoog]

He's not the founder. He bought his way into TSLA. Get your history and facts right ma'am.

[@kronosaurelius]

Agree, he may be a genius but he is no founder. If anything, his arrogance has pushed away key people at Tesla including the actual founders and the engineer that left to found Lucid.

[@robertyu7341]

He is not the founder but is considered that because of otherwise be a failed company that most would never hear of Tesla.

[@dyse13]

@@robertyu7341 we can never know as that future was destroyed when elon bought the company no matter what state it was in.

[@davidneuzil9356]

You've been listening to mainstream media too much. Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning founded AC Propulsion, When Elon entered and wanted to take the company into mass production, Martin and Marc wanted no such thing. Thats when Tesla starts, Elon sought out the name and bought it. Tesla did not exist before Elon entered into the picture. Martin and Marc hung around awhile until they became a hinderance to the Tesla the company. I've heard the distorted Tesla founders story many times over, it usually is told by Elon haters.

[@buttacupboy]

Founder or not a founder without Tesla wouldnt be where we are today.

[@NickFallon88]

Elon saw the that humanoid robotics was going to be huge 3 years before Nvidia. That AI was going to be huge when he founded OpenAI, seems like he still has the right vision.

[@cj2006sd]

EXACTLY!!! Everyone laughed and thought it was a joke…. Who’s laughing now?!! EVERYONE is now Racing to COPY Tesla and make a “humanoid robot”😂😂 they will all be coined “Tesla bots”… No matte then now😂😂😂

[@MichaelDomer]

> "Elon saw the that humanoid robotics was going to be huge 3 years before Nvid" The Japanese are light years ahead of everyone when it comes to robotics, it's simply a fact. > "That AI was going to be huge when he founded OpenAI" IBM and Google were already leading the world before OpenAI in artificial intelligence. You just want to see what you want to see silly Mush fanboy.

[@novakdjokovis]

einstein reference totally invalid wtf

[@Bwekfest]

Dude wasted like 10 seconds for nothing

[@user-ci3vw8wi5x]

As a Chinese, I think Elon is right. You will never win Chinese through the price. The only way is FSD and robot taxi.

[@rj8u]

Yes. But Chinese electric car companies is doom due to impending Taiwan conflict.

[@robertyu7341]

As a Chinese too I think you are right.

[@shimeymerih]

As a Chinese. You're wrong.

[@robertyu7341]

@@shimeymerih I don’t know your name doesn’t sound Chinese even if you are right.

[@shimeymerih]

@@robertyu7341 Okey Robert from China. 🤣

[@Zaerki]

How many businesses does Gautam Mukunda run? I rest my case.

[@rj8u]

Tesla fanboys!!

[@realnapster1522]

It’s easy to run business when you get billions from government in subsidies and Tesla fanboys buy stock hand over fist.

[@robertyu7341]

Zero I think. Those who can’t do teach.

[@zionen01]

Replacing Steve Jobs at Apple didn’t work so well, give it time, business go up and down, can’t expect to always go up.

[@cj2006sd]

Without Steve…. Apple didn’t necessarily die, but had a huge decline in innovation…. Essentially another tech company

[@MichaelDomer]

@@cj2006sd Funny...considering Apple is currently in a way better state than it ever was under Jobs. 🤣 Steve Jobs failures: 1. Recruiting John Sculley as CEO of Apple 2. Believing that Pixar would be a great hardware company. 3. Not knowing the right market for NeXT computer. 4. Launching numerous product failures: The Apple Lisa. Macintosh TV. The Apple III. The Powermac g4 cube. 5. Trying to sell Pixar numerous times.

[@hyp-o-crite-]

i am sure this guy is right since he is so experience runing company cnbc = ???

[@nuriy]

It’s not that he was right… It’s that he had the fortitude to fight through all the obstacles, inspire his teams, and make it happen

[@techextranet]

Videos like this help bring down the price so I can DCA more!

[@robertyu7341]

I bet you this guy is short on Tesla.

[@techextranet]

@@robertyu7341 seems like it for sure. Already seeing some amazing stock action this evening after the earnings call. I’m pumped.

[@xcel5203]

Quality being same price will be the most important factor . Then of course going forward will EV continue to be embraced by customers or other factors like range and charging facilities play spoilsport . One thing is sure Tesla certainly doesn't have the field to itself ; the competition is getting tougher .

[@CesaireLefebvre]

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[@jaypatel490]

Gautam Mukunda... example for what's wrong with the American corporation ( greed, selfishness,:) )

[@cj2006sd]

He and his thinking is what’s wrong with America😂😂😂😂😂

[@CesaireLefebvre]

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[@CarlOvergaard]

With Weewus presale, youre not just investing in a token. Youre investing in a vision of decentralized finance.

[@MonikaEriksen]

Weewus approach to solving real-world problems with blockchain is revolutionary.

[@natureboy915]

In Elon we trust

[@1001Balance]

And his cybertrucks rust

[@falgunpatil2372]

This guy has oddacity to say Einstein was never right after theory of relativity! You need to be at least comparable, if not better to judge someone! 😄😄😄

[@kronosaurelius]

He is right, Einstein did not want quantum physics to be reality. It is historically accurate. You don't need to be in the industry to make observations. We know from cryptography to machine learning that it is easier to validate the answer than to generate the solution. We are all here to validate the answer, Elon was producing the solution. We are also evaluating Elon's past performance so we have the benefit of hindsight. If hindsight does not give you an advantage then there is something wrong with you.

[@falgunpatil2372]

@@kronosaurelius Just because you lost big on Tesla, you don't have to support everyone who may speak favorably about it. BTW Einstein is considered as the founder of quantum physics! Since you have benefit of hindsight go google it! 😄

[@wegder]

Yesterday, Elon Musk announced Tesla's plans to take over the ride-sharing industry with the introduction of 1 million self-driving robotaxis in 2020, according to Business Insider.

[@luiscaceres4426]

Wow he needs to read more … the fact that Steve Jobs got it right 2:06 change the way we see and use our phones !!

[@MichaelDomer]

Steve Jobs failures: 1. Recruiting John Sculley as CEO of Apple 2. Believing that Pixar would be a great hardware company. 3. Not knowing the right market for NeXT computer. 4. Launching numerous product failures: The Apple Lisa. Macintosh TV. The Apple III. The Powermac g4 cube. 5. Trying to sell Pixar numerous times.

[@AriRasanen]

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[@TheEriclwarner]

On the other hand- it may be this brilliance and guts that takes things to an entirely higher level. The guts thing has not entered into this person's thinking. I think this person is a little thin in his thinking.... average teachings at Harvard - don't necessarily match where Elon and Tesla are today.

[@mwmatthews1]

Yup, SpaceX would never have cut the cost of rocket launches by 90% without high risk innovations

[@FusionLab88]

It's simple: if you're smart with your money and save while everyone else is spending recklessly, you can take advantage of times like these. In the past six months, I've bought and sold a home. I recently purchased another Tesla because of the deals available and have been waiting for a day like today to invest more money into my current Tesla portfolio. People often blame external factors instead of themselves. If you paid attention in economics, you would understand what is happening and how it will impact consumer spending, and how companies will need to adjust. This makes it a buyer's market, not a seller's market.

[@MonikaEriksen]

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[@2023gainer]

Are you also Loading the EV sector Dips for Future Long-term Wealth building.? Fisker.. FSRN..rose 17 % Mon...New filings...8-K and 10- K ... Tesla...40 % Dip opportunity.. Rivian...Joby Evtol Jets and more. EV are the Future.

[@Christineperkins-uw8ow]

This is a window of opportunity to get as much of the latest tesla innovation shares as possible considering the dip

[@LumenMichaelOne]

"that can only agree on the lowest common denominator thus have no innovating vision." That can be true occasionally, maybe more often than not. The Board(s) job is often to remain anchored in reality. Your very Sweeping and Unyielding statement lacks the observation of Nuance. There is ALWAYS nuance.

[@MonikaEriksen]

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[@MiriamGrosse]

Weewus strategic partnerships are setting the stage for massive growth. Their presale is your ticket to the show.

[@shimeymerih]

Elon fanboys and fangirls won't like this man. 😂

[@Patrick-yh5yd]

This guys name is comic book. Why not changing the name?

[@yubasutterdroneguy1433]

I feel sorry for Gautum😂😂😂 He’s no longer right and needs to step down from teaching 😂😂😂😂. He is holding back educational progress 😂😂😂. He is clearly disconnected and not in touch with reality. His comments and assessments will age like a fine glass of milk on a Palm Springs fairway😂😂😂. He is sadly mistaken about the idea that a board can accurately and correctly evaluate concepts and ideas of a highly creative manner…. probably the best they can do is an ATTEMPT to assess because if they were actually worth their weight in salt, they wouldn’t be a board member they would be a CEO. They are simply a board member for a reason…because they can’t do themselves. Look at all the professional financial analyst back in early 2000s (and still to this day!) that said Tesla was a niche and a fad, and would never survive once the big automotive giants started to build electric cars and come with competition. This statement is getting old and nobody wants the competition’s cars… The sales data says this with volume…. And it’s clear for all to see….IF you really are analysts and CAN ACTUALLY read the data. Anybody that keeps this rhetoric up is delusional and not worthy of the educational degree they hold because Tesla has been an automotive company for over 20 years now … founded in 2003 and essentially all the media… and financial advisors would say, “the competition is coming…the competition is coming” .. well after 20+ years, they have ALL been wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong and missed out on a lot of financial opportunities which means there is nobody capable of analyzing this company correctly, so you just need to get over it…shut up and color and accept the new reality! I’m collecting clips like this for a new KZbin platform… I’m getting ready to start regarding people gone horribly wrong with assessments and statements it will be glorious trolling.😂😂😂😂. Why would we continue to listen to narratives like this from this man and others that have been wrong for decades and is essentially an old broke way of thinking. Other KZbin platforms are FAR more correct on Tesla than the old school media and advisers who haven’t realized that this is the 21st century yet😂😂😂😂. Clue: Tesla averages nearly $16,000 of profit per car while the number two automotive manufactured Toyota barely does $1,100 a profit per car…. let me spell this out because it is sad and clear that nobody understands this is is just like what Amazon did back in the day. They have so much operating profit per car that they can lower their prices enough and drive everyone else around them out of business! So, please don’t think that price cuts are an act of desperation … because you are wrong… their price cuts are an act of war and they like Amazon can survive the long game. Study up on the Amazon rise to power. Tesla took a page out of Amazon‘s book, Amazon cut prices below their competition and killed all the brick and mortar stores, then they put the prices back to normal simple and elegant war! Just the facts!

[@chadbailey7038]

Spitting facts. 👏🏾

[@LydiaBond-ru9ib]

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[@natureboy915]

Becky is such a good interviewer

[@Econesthomesllc]

Elon Musk will overcome!! 2024 will be a victory for all!!

[@user-tr5cd5zo6t]

is this what Harvard teaches?.. is this Harvard material.

[@rj8u]

Tesla fanboys 😅

[@HildurEiriks]

Investing in Weewus presale could be like buying Ethereum in 2015. Dont miss what could be the investment of the decade.

[@DagmarHauer-jv9ix]

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[@BogdanaBarbu]

Weewus presale is the talk of the crypto world for a reason. Its a unique chance to get in on the ground floor of something big.

[@MercedesVillalba-yr7fy]

Weewus roadmap is a treasure map, and their presale is the X marking the spot. This is where fortunes will be made.

[@johannesbhakdi1774]

"the fact that Elon was right about self landing rockets, EVs and all the other stuff doesn't mean he will be right on more things in the future". I would argue the opposite.

[@MichaelDomer]

How can you argue about the future?

[@187aris]

Let me get this straight, is this guy seriously advocating to replace Elon as CEO of Tesla?! Stick to the classroom buddy.

[@MichaelDomer]

Google: "Tesla sees biggest revenue drop since 2012"

[@Shownup007]

There are many times Elon Must has been right and I can’t think of anything he got wrong long term. So with Elons batting average I’ll just mozy along whit him thank you very much.

[@Christineperkins-uw8ow]

This is a window of opportunity to get as much of the latest tesla innovation shares as possible considering the dip

[@OlgaCostantini-ed2vh]

Weewus presale is attracting smart investors worldwide. Dont sit on the sidelines while others seize this opportunity.

[@CorinneLecompte]

Every so often, a project like Weewu comes along and changes everything. Their presale is your chance to be part of the change.

[@cj2006sd]

Does anyone remember that when Apple releases the first iPhone, everyone laughed at it and made jokes about it…said that Steve Jobs was going to wreck Apple… And that they knew nothing about phones and that the “big boys” would crush them😂😂😂😂. Never happened😂😂😂 ACTUALLY the board originally fired Steve Jobs from Apple, Steve went on to buy Pixar and made it what it is today. Meanwhile, Apple was on the verge of foreclosure, and the stock was bottoming out, and everybody was talking in the news about them going bankrupt…… in a Hail Mary attempt, they rehired Steve Jobs, and then the company rocketed up to become the worlds largest company once back under Steve’s direction, you simply cannot interchange people like pegs…there are certain characteristics in greatness, and there is no magic pill to create them. they are simply born.

[@yubasutterdroneguy1433]

I do remember this 🤣. Almost forgot 🤣🤣🤣. Yup!!!

[@user-rw311]

Tesla should be the same price if not less than BMW 💯💯💯💯

[@swin7217]

Thats what they said above steve jobs!

[@narayanar2194]

We all know CNBC doesn't like Tesla.

[@aligoodarzi-qq3uq]

❤

[@AnkerThorsen]

The excitement around Weewus presale is palpable. This is your chance to get in on an investment that could redefine your future.

[@kish2934]

Ah right because a guy who writes books about business knows more than the most successful businessperson of all time

[@tinadavis5360]

Elon Musk was not a founder of Tesla. He bought his way in.

[@power2me1]

hahahahha it was literally nothing until he put money in. the idea that others "launched' tesla remains ludicrous

[@mrpaddingtonn]

problem with experts and professors is that they have never worked a day in their life as operators. Including this gentleman. Looking at his LinkedIn, I wouldn’t hire him to even run the cafeteria. No offense but this is because they live in the world of books and studies and speaking. Not doing. so… thanks for sharing your opinion.

[@cj2006sd]

Is he really new SO much and was SO good he working be a teacher… He would be a great CEO with a world famous company and a product that everyone wanted😂😂😂😂😂

[@Nick-zw7gg]

Those who can't do, teach!

[@BlueToronto]

So I teach English because I can't speak English? 🤔

[@MatthewMS.]

Becky is beautiful, respectfully

[@chiquita683]

Based

[@phenry13845]

I certainly wouldn't want this fellow on the Tesla board.

[@DagmarHauer-jv9ix]

Joining Weewus presale is more than an investment-its a vote of confidence in a brighter financial future.

[@user-dx4hh3ky2r]

He re-invented what? Transportation? Major ‘Backward-Nation-Dation’ ! CNBC is very entertaining, good job.

[@coranoske]

Gautam does not get it on Elon.. I am really sorry to have to say that this is a very simplistic view of the Tesla mission.. there is no other leader than Elon to realise the mission

[@MichaelDomer]

*_"no other leader than Elon to realise the mission"_* They former Twitter employees are laughing right now after reading your comment and checking Google: "Tesla sees biggest revenue drop since 2012"

[@user-pn6ts8hr9t]

Elon, I don't think you will get a gift for Christmas from him.

[@1001Balance]

Maybe he should work instead of playing on twitter and appearing in shows

[@meehanasap]

Watching CNBC pump Tesla stock to help their wealthy friends is kind of sickening

[@johannesbhakdi1774]

lol how is this guy qualified to comment on Elon or Tesla ?

[@cj2006sd]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@1001Balance]

The average Joe seems to make more sense than mr skunk

[@sarabeth8050]

Why are people not buying Teslas? Simple, they are no longer cool since the CEO has gone full maga.

[@zenbyo]

He hasn't. MAGA isn't naming their kids after math equations. He simply bought Twitter and everyone lost their mind.

[@FusionLab88]

Because no one can handle high inflation. I’ve purchased a house and new Tesla because I have the means to take advantage during these times. However the average American lives paycheck to paycheck. The fact that analysts and economists do not factor in our current economic state is mind blowing.

[@gnosis7662]

If you allow politics to dictate what you do and do not buy, you will end up cutting yourself off from about 50% of the greatest products out there!

[@stant7122]

Cost of ownership isn’t much different than ICE. A good reliable Toyota will last me 300k miles with doing just basic maintenance. That’s how long my last Toyota last me. I don’t want to pay for new set of EV tires every 15k miles and new battery pack every 100k miles. That’s too expensive

[@MakeAMark1755]

​@stant7122 who buys a new battery after 100k lol just made up numbers

[@samehabouez8267]

Man the amount of jealousy and hate people feel towards Elon is crazy and ugly to be honest. He’s like everything the dream to be but can’t.

[@MatthewMS.]

How can you be a guaranteed millionaire? Invest $1 billion into a elon musk led venture.

[@sunjun222]

Would you gamble with Musk or someone else I will take a proven leader Musk every time.

[@javadabaron81]

Following Musk right off the cliff

[@maxpayne7419]

Tesla’s current stock price is all hopium. Musk has proven to be a poor CEO in the last 3 years. He has been asleep at the wheel. Tesla’s current lagging results and plummeting value is proof of that.

[@thabangmanyaka1621]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@banditonehundred]

Give him credit, now even climate deniers are supporting going green.

[@camwalker1186]

There is NOTHING GREEN about Stupid Electric Cars. You understand nothing.

[@mwmatthews1]

​@@camwalker1186makes much more sense to have a billion individual carbon producing engines, right? Have you looked at any actual data or just a few talking poi ts from fossil fuel PR firms 😅

[@scott5770]

What the what?

[@shethkaushal]

..Musk is right about EV but wrong about how to build a car company…there is a reason why Ford, GM, Toyota have been multi generational companies..

[@Andre1CustomShoes]

Best time to layoff workers and replace them with robots

[@mariavienna1305]

He is not the founder or inventor.

[@Sabaiallworld]

How many of these commentators have put their ass in a Chinese car and drived it …Be my guest , buy one and see you in 3-4 years and let’s compare … you’ll understand why Tesla is the best… and god .. be proud to have as American such a company!! Just celebrate instead of downgrading!!! Unreal!!!

[@belahatvany]

Tesla is global including china

[@alasgar]

Mr. Mukunda, Your understanding of Elon is flawed. Elon is beyond our comprehension! You and many people like you doubted him all these time and now you are crediting his geniuses and yet discredit what he believes. Same people like you doubted Steve Jobs, but he is the one who made Apple what apple is today. You are theorist, he is a doer.

[@1001Balance]

Musk is lost in drugs and attention craving

[@chineseamerican5962]

the only way for kick him out is buy tsla or shut up

[@robertyu7341]

Physics is not business.

[@estebanrivera7068]

No one cares what Mr. Potato says about Elon

[@MatthewMS.]

elon, look back to his interview after PayPal sale when he had a $1 million McLaren delivered to him during the interview… many years ago. Elon has an extreme case of machiavellianism; it’s all clear now after the fact.

[@sijugeo1973]

The sad part is this so-called 'expert' is not right, not even once.

[@Agent77X]

He teaches students about leadership, can you believe it?😂

[@ernietam6202]

Don't know the speaker and don't know what his point. He said Elon may not be right. What is the basis? Nothing concrete. All his argument is that nobody is always right. Yes, I know and I will say the speaker is not right because I don't have any concrete example about Tesla. He didn't mention anything concrete except no one is always right. What is the point for Tesla. Sigh!!!!!!!!!!

[@ThePhilangeli]

That is poor logic, I can't believe that guy is a teacher. There are so many flaws in his statements and arguments.

[@marcuskorell2930]

This was the dumbest analogy I've ever heard. If this guy can get time on CNBC Elon can make a fart go all the way to Mars!

[@jasonb6461]

einstein made no significant contribution after general relativity.... defaq this guy high on, i want some of that.

[@blueorangesun]

i want my 5 min back. this guy had nothing that could tell us about the stock. a moot point about who is the right person?

[@peteryates7505]

How can such a fan boy be allowed to discredit fact and higher learning at Harvard.

[@rickhayes-oh2zm]

tesla can't get some of that 100 billion for Israel and Ukraine.

[@yreuven]

What is he talking about, go back to schooling

[@goldeneastgun]

How do you distinguish between “genius” and “luck”? For all of us, our unique set of circumstances led us to where we are now. How is this any different for dumb people who win the lottery, then lose it all. Or in Elons case... is about to lose it all.

[@KJA1693]

This guy was not very impressive.

[@gorishokgo5825]

Lol 😂😂 in nearest future burgers will understand that elons father is a lithium oligarch 😂😂 oh my god 😂😂

[@albertohancock2454]

The guest came off babbling and reaching for framing with a physics analogy.

[@rj8u]

Tesla fanboys.

[@thewholeshabang181]

My observation is any women above 35 talking about Elon is also in love❤

[@odlyentertaining]

What a terrible take, wonder how short he is. As a physicist I don’t feel like this individual understands the field of physics and how peer review works.

[@BBobertZ10]

Bro just said a whole lot of nothing